During almost 30 years, we are reminded in this day of the duty to protect these rights, including the right to education (Articles 28-29). Based on this and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 2 of Protocol No. 1), the Council of Europe promotes access to equitable and quality education for all children in Europe.
This remains a challenge, when we observe the situation for example of many Roma children, who continue to suffer from discriminatory practices, preventing their access to what all children should profit from: the capacity to learn, to be intellectually engaged, to be curious about the world and to master the tools to understand it.
The EU/CoE Joint Project ‘Inclusive Schools: Making a Difference for Roma Children” (INSCHOOL) focuses precisely on this issue - promoting access to equitable and quality education for all children, with a particular focus on Roma children because of the often vulnerable situations they face. This is done through concrete support to transform the school environment at practice level and evidence-based discussions and recommendations at policy level to improve the education systems.
Happy International Day of Children’s Rights !